Share your 2014 celebrations & 2015 goals in a special New Year’s issue of Tea Weekly!

As the clock ticks toward the end of the year, it’s time to take stock and reflect on the current year and to begin thinking about what may be in store for the next one.

It’s our tradition at Tea Weekly to begin a new year by republishing snippets of the previous year’s news in a brief, one- to two-week “Looking Back” series to remind ongoing readers of the year’s highlights and to catch up newcomers. Once everybody’s caught up, it’s time to launch into a whole new year of Tea area news.

The pride of small town newspapers, is, of course, the people they serve. We want to feature your accomplishments and keep you up to date on the happenings of your town and surrounding area. We want to celebrate your achievements, introduce you to the newest local businesses, keep you apprised of city council and school board considerations and decisions, help you welcome a new family member or say goodbye to a departed loved one. That’s why we welcome and publish a wide variety of local news submissions, including announcements for weddings, engagements, anniversaries, birthdays, birth announcements, graduations, obituaries, thank you notes, sports news and team photos and more, all free of charge. Several times each year, we also publish good character award recipients, perfect attendance and honor roll lists to help highlight the good deeds and achievements of our local students.

The job of the community newspaper is to collect and disseminate the news and events shape the lives of its readers and their community and to provide a historical record for future generations to look back upon and discover how the world was before they were a part of it.

This is what the Tea Weekly staff aims to do on a weekly basis and we thank you for being part of the equation by sharing news tips and subscribing to the Tea Weekly. With a regular price of $30 per year for 52 issues, it’s easy and affordable to stay connected to your community, no TV or Internet connection required — although we do include the e-edition for free to print subscribers.

To help make the kick off to a brand new year even more special for 2015, we would like to try something new and we need your help to pull it off. We’re asking readers to share their most celebrated moments of 2014 and their goals for 2015 in our New Year’s issue.

What happened in 2014 that you would like to celebrate? Maybe you had a great year and graduated high school or college, got a new job, moved into your dream house, welcomed a new baby, achieved a fitness goal, quit smoking, beat cancer or ran a marathon.

What are you looking forward to in 2015? Maybe you hope to reach a savings goal, travel, lose weight, develop a new skill or volunteer to help others. Whatever your most celebrated moment of the year or biggest goal for next year is, we would love to hear about it.

There’s all kinds of ways to get your message to us. Send us an email or an old-fashioned letter. Jot down a note and drop it in the secure box outside our office door. Grab a dry erase board or poster board and write a brief, bold statement in large, legible print. Have someone take a photo of you with your message and send it to us.

If you need help, stop in to the Tea Weekly office, with or without a prepared message (we have a spare white board at the office), and I can take your photo if you would like.

Whatever method you choose, do it soon! Responses need to be received by noon on Monday, Dec. 29 for consideration for inclusion in our New Year’s issue, which is on stands on Jan. 1 and in subscribers’ mailboxes on Jan. 2. If your submission isn’t printed, it may still make it on our website.

Please label your submission either “2014 celebrations” or “2015 goals,” whichever best fits the category of your message. Letters may be sent to: Tea Weekly at P.O. Box 98, Tea, SD 57064 or emailed to teaweekly@gmail.com.

If you would like to stop in to our office at 140 N. Carla Ave. to drop off your message and/or have your photo taken, please call me at 605-214-5277 and we’ll set up a mutually agreeable time to meet. I am generally in the office from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but may step out for errands or interviews or have revised schedule due to holidays. During Christmas week, I will be available during regular office hours on Monday, Dec. 22 and until noon on Wednesday, Dec. 24. I will be available during regular hours via phone and email on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Please contact me if you would like to stop in so I can be sure to be available when you come by.

However you choose to sign your message — full name, first initial and last name, first name and last initial, initials only or anonymous — and whether you include your age with your submission is all up to you. All we ask is that your message is legible and clearly labeled as either a 2014 celebration or 2015 goal. If your message is short, try the dry erase board or poster board method — just make sure the message is large and easily readable. If you’d like to write a longer message, please email or mail it in. All of our readers are invited to take part.

Thank you for your support in 2014 and may you all have a Merry Christmas, joyous holiday celebrations and a happy new year. We hope to begin receiving submissions soon!